The Monster of Thorney Towers
by General LZ
Summary: After five years, Raz returns as a camp counselor. With old rivalries, new romances, and kids disappearing, it's just a typical summer at Whispering Rock. Bobby/Raz
1. Blink of an Eye

**Warning: **Slight OOC, gays, straights, lesbians, oh my! And mild swearing

**Disclaimer:** I only own a copy of the game. D:

**A/N:** Okay, first things first, this is my first shot at a multific. Secondly, if you didn't catch the summary, the primary pairing is Bobby/Raz. Don't like, then you don't have to read. But I promise the plot isn't too terrible!

I would really appreciate some feedback! I want to know if at least one person would be interested in continue reading this. If not, I'm going to continue to write anyway. Just with less vigor.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Razputin Aquato shifted his feet timidly. He chewed on the inside of his bottom lip as he stood in front of the main lodge.

He had every right to be nervous.

Since he became a Psychonaut, he had seen neither hide nor hair of his once-fellow PSI Cadets for five years. Between missions, Raz spent whatever free time he had with either his family or Lili Zanotto.

Although his relationship with Lili did not work out romantically, they remained as friends. They both knew why their relationship didn't work out that way and they were okay with it.

It was Lili's idea in the first place that he should come back to the Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp this year.

Apparently, despite the small "stealing kids' brains for world domination" incident, the campers returned for the following years. Lili still returned annually.

She said that everyone missed him. Even the snobs Kitty and Franke missed him (or at least missed making fun of him.)

Although she reassured him, Raz felt like that she may have exaggerated. He only knew the others for a few days and then everyone returned to their old lives. It was almost like Raz was never really there.

The young Psychonaut shook his head. '_I shouldn't think like that_,' he thought. '_It's not like I can get out of it now._'

He already informed Lili that he arrived telepathically. If he left now, he would have a very pissed off brunette to deal with.

Raz inhaled deeply. He had not been able to breathe in the fresh air for awhile. Most of his missions sent him to dissolute cities or factories.

His eyes flickered around. It felt odd to be running around outside at night without hearing the sound of a firestarting cougar.

Those were good memories. Out to save the world and giant felines kept setting him on fire. And if it wasn't the cougars, it was the telekinetic bears.

Speaking of memories, he vaguely wondered how everyone changed. Five years meant a lot when they dealt with adolescents.

He, himself, had changed quite a bit. His red wine hair had grown into a variant of a shag; reaching his jawline. He wore his red goggles atop of his head (they were his agent trademark after all.) His height increased to about five feet and six inches. He was heavier, stronger, and if he dared to say it, more good looking.

"Geez, if you love yourself so much, why don't you marry it?" A voice teased.

His eyes snapped to the source, which led to the mordant brunette. The girl had changed as well over the years. Her hair was recently cut into a bop that barely reached the nape of her neck. The amount of makeup and the fingerless gloves remained the same. She wore a simple pair of jeans, a skulled pink tanktop, and army boots. Her overall height fell two inches shorter than Raz's and her breasts, as the boy noticed, came in rather well.

A smirk graced his face. "Maybe I should. I am, after all, ruggedly handsome." He excessively flexed his muscles into strongman poses.

Lili rolled her eyes. "Or maybe ruggedly stupid," she retorted as she glanced at his apparel. Her eyes narrowed and her lips frowned. "I can't believe you're still wearing _that_." She gestured her hands towards his official Psychonaut uniform.

"Well, if you gave me a bit more warning on this trip, I might've found time to change," he said.

The girl crossed her arms and tiled her hip to the side. "Do you at least have a suitcase?"

Raz smiled cheekily and shrugged. "My dad's bringing it by tomorrow." He received an eye roll. "At least no one else is arriving till then."

Lili took a deep breath and exhaled noisily. Her index and middles fingers massaged her temples. "Honestly, Razputin. Do you ever listen?" The boy opened his mouth to reply, but she intercepted. "I told you that this year will be different. Since the increase of campers, there has also been an increase in understaffed-ness. Ring any bells?"

Raz opened his mouth, but then slammed it shut and shook his head.

"Well, brainiac, we older kids have been asked to be counselors this year. Everyone is supposed to be here tonight. I don't know all the details of who's doing what, but Milla is-" she was interrupted.

"Wait, Agent Vodello is here?" Raz asked.

Lili nodded. "As well as Sasha, Oleander, and Ford." She noted the boy's gaping mouth. "Just because you're always off on some mission doesn't mean everyone else is."

"Well, I didn't mean- it's just that I thought they might've found something else better to do than babysit kids all summer."

The brunette's left eye twitched, but her lips curved into a smirk. "Keep talking like that and you may just end up being a mini-Sasha."

Raz grimaced. "Eww," he replied. Though he worshipped the man when he was younger, he knew the German better now. As it turned out, more knowledge meant less idolization.

Giggles escaped from Lili. "I'm just kidding," she assured. "Now come on." She grabbed one of Raz's wrists and proceeded to drag him down the ramp. "The counselor ceremony is over at Oleander's tree-house. Oh that reminds me!"

"What?" he asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Some renovations have been made. Not only are there more kids' cabins, but also more counselor cabins. That means that we won't be sharing with the booger-eaters."

"So, who's sleeping with who?" he asked.

The girl turned back and her smile brought chill to his bones. "You'll see," she answered and turned her attention back to the front.

Raz learned to recognize that smile. That smile meant nothing good to the young Psychonaut.

* * *

"Just a little higher, darling," Milla said.

"Any higher and it's going to the moon, Vodello," Oleander snapped.

Milla stepped back and surveyed. Morceau Oleander stood on the right with Sasha Nein on the left. Each man telekinetically held up an end of the banner that read 'Welcome Back!'

She fixed her index fingers and thumbs into a rectangle and peered through it. "Just tad lower, Sasha and…perfect!" She exclaimed. Both men sighed in relief as each pulled out a nail to hammer the banner in.

"Milla!" A voice called out.

The Brazilian turned with pursed lips; ready to reprimand the teen. "Lili, you're late. I need you to-" A high pitched squeal escaped from her.

In response to the scream, Oleander seized the radio and ducked underneath the table. He began yelling through it. "Code Red! I repeat, Code Red! Code-"

"Easy, Morry," Sasha reassured as helped the shorter coach up. "It's just an old friend." He motioned a hand towards Milla.

Oleander cocked a brow. "I have an old friend?" His head turned towards the Mental Minx.

Whoever it was, the poor soul was gripped into one of Milla's crushing bear hugs. Lili stood off to the side while wearing a grin.

"It's so good to see you, darling!" She shouted as she released.

Raz chuckled. "It's good to see you too." He stepped back to get a better look at the woman. "Man, Lili wasn't kidding. You're the size of an elephant!" His open palms directed at the Brazilian's swollen stomach.

Despite the comment, Milla smiled sweetly. She knew that the boy was terrible with words. "Well, sweetie, I can't really help that, now can I?"

"How far are you?" Raz asked. Being in a large family, he had seen his fair share of pregnancies. So, he learned quickly that pregnant women like to be asked about the development.

"We're in the third trimester. The doctor said that they'll be due in the summer," she hinted.

Raz raised an eyebrow. "They?"

Lili gasped. "You're having twins?" She cried as she ungracefully shoved Raz aside and gripped Milla's hands.

A wiry grin graced Milla's face as she shook her head. "Triplets!" The girls squealed in unison.

Raz covered his ears and staggered over to the men. "Gah! I'm going to lose all my hearing before summer even begins." He quickly checked out his previous coaches. It seemed that time had no affect as Coach Oleander was still short and Sasha Nein still looked like a pouting kitten.

"No kidding," Sasha agreed. He outstretched a hand towards the teen. "Nice to see you haven't set yourself on fire yet, Razputin."

As Raz took and shook the hand, Oleander slammed a hand on the boy's back. "Raz, my boy! Welcome back!"

"It's good to be back, Coach Oleander." Raz chuckled. "So, Sasha," he began slyly as he faced the man. "I heard something about you."

Sasha frowned. That tone signified embarrassment for the German. "Do I want to know?"

A wry grin plastered Raz's face. "I heard you knocked up Milla on the honeymoon." The grin grew wider. "One hit, one kill, eh?"

A blush burned across the man's face. In retaliation to the comment, Sasha took his hand, smacked it on the front of Raz's face, and shoved him away. Of course, the action made little difference to Raz's muffled snickers and Oleander's snorts of laughter.

"If I had know that you were to grow up into such a pervert, I-"

"What's going on over there?" Milla's voice rang.

Raz smiled sheepishly before replying, "We were just talking about when the others are going to be here…"

Milla gasped. "I almost forgot!" The Brazilian turned her attention to Lili. "I wanted you to wait by the parking lot to tell the children that the ceremony is here." Milla ambled towards the ramp. "I'll come with you, darling. I want to welcome everybody." She clasped onto Lili's wrist while she walked.

As their heads slowly disappeared around the corner, Sasha called out, "Be careful!"

"Will do, darling!" Milla called back.

The German sighed. His eyes flickered to a smirking Raz. "Not one word, Razputin."

Raz threw his hands in the air in defense which just caused Oleander to snort.

Sasha rolled his eyes. His legs carried him towards the end of the tree-house. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in my secret lab," he announced before he levitated himself down.

"He does know that his 'secret' lab is printed on the map, right?" Raz asked.

"Eh." Oleander waved a dismissive hand. "Let him have his bit of privacy, though public it may be."

"That was almost poetic," Raz pointed out and both gave a chuckle. "Anyway, I heard there's an increase in campers. No offense, but I didn't know that kids still came here." Deciding he rather had a good spot of the ceremony, he went ahead and scouted for a decent spot.

Oleander strolled to his place at the radio. "None taken." He sighed in relief as he finally got to sit down after a long day of orders from the Mental Minx. "But apparently, there has been more Psychonaut activity in public affairs. People are becoming more aware of psychic abilities, which, in turn, make them more aware and tolerating of their kids' abilities."

Raz nodded. "I see. I saw some of the new cabins. They look nice."

The coach grunted. "That's just because of parent complaint." He scratched his nose and sniffed. "At least we'll have you kids helping out this year."

"Yeah, Lili mentioned that. Do you know who's going to do what?"

Oleander shrugged. "Beats me. It was Milla and Lili's job to do the organizing."

"What?! She told me that she didn't know." Raz began to frown. Something was up and Lili was behind it.

The pint-sized Patton began picking at his teeth. "Maybe she wanted it to be a surprise?" He suggested.

"Maybe," he replied. Nonetheless, Lili hated surprises. However his thought was cut off.

"Raz, is that you?" A shy voice asked.

Although puberty changed the pitch in voices, Raz could still recognize it instantly. "Dogen?" His attention turned towards the corner where the tree-house met ramp.

A figure emerged from the angle. "Raz!" Dogen yelled. He waddled towards the other teen and hugged/tackled him.

Raz laughed at the familiarity. "It's to see you too, buddy!" The younger teen finally released and the young Psychonaut took this a chance to examine the boy.

Dogen ditched the footsie pajamas for a pair of regular sneakers, jeans, and the traditional Whispering Rock T-shirt. Instead of the tin foil hat, he wore beanie-like hat that reminded Raz of Psitanium. Dogen fell short of Raz; barely reaching five feet. His body frame remained the same. Overall, Dogen was still Dogen.

One thing Raz noticed most was a colored variant of a Psychonaut badge on the right sleeve of Dogen's shirt.

"Hey Dogen, what's this?" He lightly tugged at the sleeve.

Dogen followed Raz's gaze. Realization dawned on him. "Oh! That's my Psychonaut-In-Training badge. I'm almost a Psychonaut!"

"Congrats!" Since he had jumped started from a PSI Cadet to a Psychonaut, Raz had little knowledge of 'becoming' a Psychonaut. "Is anyone else a PIT?"

The blue boy's scrunched in thought. "I know that Lili, Phoebe, and Quentin are. I think Bo-"

"Raz!"

Again, Raz felt a force tackle him. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

The goggle-wearing Psychonaut sighed as he finally had the chance to sit. It seemed like everyone all arrived at once.

Lili was right about everyone missing him.

Each person greeted him. Some gave him a bear hug like Crystal. Others opted for a one-armed hug like Chops or a high five like Nils. Then there were those who simply nodded in his direction like Kitty. Everyone greeted him and he chatted with each and every one of them.

Since initial greetings passed, Raz was able to analyze each person.

Crystal and Clem had mellowed out. They were still perky, but not as forced as they used to be. And it appeared that they no longer wanted to commit suicide (which was a plus).

Franke and Kitty looked like they stepped off their high pedestal to treat the others with mutual respect. They were still snobby though.

Elka and Nils got together again and according to Elka's fussiness, the relationship was going to end later tonight.

J.T. and Chops remained as best friends, although they gave the impression of being touchier than Raz remembered.

Benny joined Maloof and Mikhail in their protection business. Of course, being threatened with a half deadly nelson while being held upside could do that to a guy.

Elton and Milka were no longer 'out', but continued to be friends. At least, Raz thought he saw Milka (she still had the habit of going invisible randomly.)

Quentin and Phoebe still had the band. Chloe still wore that space helmet. Vernon still told long and boring stories.

In general, nothing really changed at Whispering Rock.

'_Wait…_' Raz thought. '_Did I miss someone?_'

His thought was not allowed to continue when a Brazilian female voice called for attention.

"Listen up, darlings! Let's take a seat now," she ordered.

The chatter seized as each kid took a spot on either a couch or the floor. Raz took a spot on the end of the right couch, with Dogen on his left.

After all eyes and ears were aimed at Milla, she began speaking. "Hello children and welcome back to Whispering Rock. As you all know, this year, you get to be camp counselors!" She exclaimed.

She then turned towards Oleander with an outstretched hand. In response, the man dug behind the radio and pulled a clipboard with papers on it.

After he handed it to her, she glanced it and cleared at her throat. "As protocol, I have to go through roll call. Since I already know that everyone is here, when I call out your name, I'll tell you what your assignment is. Everyone understand?"

Each person made a confirmative noise.

Milla nodded. "Good. First, Razputin Aquato." She looked over and winked. "Because of your rank, you're going to be Co-Head Counselor. In addition, you're also going to help out in Psi-blast, Clairvoyance, and Confusion. That's a lot of responsibility," she remarked.

"Well, with great power, comes great responsibility," Raz replied.

Lili, who sat next to Dogen, rolled her eyes. "Please, you can barely take care of a goldfish." Raz stuck out his tongue in response.

"Now, now. Let's move on, shall we?" Though Milla's tone came off as sweet, an edge gave away that she was tired and wanted to get this over with. "Franke Athens, Telekinesis. Chloe Barge, since you're not 13 yet, I have a special assignment for you. Mind if I go over it with you tomorrow?"

The small girl saluted. "Fine with me, earthling."

A smile adorned her face. She moved on with the list. "Dogen Boole, I heard that you're pretty good at defense. How about Shield?"

"M'kay," he replied.

"Kitty Bubai, Telekinesis. Mikhail Bulgakov, do you think you can be a night counselor? You know, to make sure we don't have children running around at night," she explained.

"As I long as I get to wrestle bear or lion, I'm good," the Russian boy replied.

"Maloof Canola, since you're not 13 yet either, you'll be a junior night counselor with Mikhail. Is that alright?"

Maloof rubbed his hands in thought. Protection service for free? Well, that would just be the night shift. "Sure, no problem."

Milla sighed at the long list. '_Barely half down the list_,' she thought. Though she prized herself as the nicest of the staff members, pregnancy compromised friendliness. Despite that, she must go on. "Elka Doom, Invisibility. Benjamin Fideleo, night counselor as well. Elton Fir, Clairvoyance. Clem Foote, due to parent complaint, we added extracurricular activities. Mind being in charge of sports?"

The male cheerleader replied cheerfully, "No, ma'am! That would super!"

"Good then. Quentin Hedgemouse, Levitation. James Theodore Hoofburger, Psi-Blast. Phoebe Love, Pyrokinesis. Nils Lutefisk, Clairvoyance. Milka Phage, Invisibility. Crystal Flowers Snagrash, you're in charge of arts and crafts. Sounds good?"

"Super good!" came the reply.

The Brazilian nearly squealed in delight. Just four more. "Melvin Sweetwind, you'll help Clem with sports. Vernon Tripe, you'll have to two jobs. During the day, you'll help Crystal with crafts. At night, you'll be a campfire storyteller…in case the children have a hard time sleeping," She quickly added.

A few snickers escaped from the campers. They caught on to what the Milla was implying.

"Anyway, Lili Zanotto, Shield. And Bobby Zilch…?" Milla looked around the tree-house. "Did we miss him, Lili?" She received a shrug.

"We're here!" An elderly voice called out.

All heads turned to see Ford Cruller walk up with Bobby in tow.

"Sorry we're late. We had some last minute training to finish up," Ford explained.

Uninterested, most of the campers turned back to their business, except one.

Raz held a gaping mouth. The years had done wonders for Bobby. His once orange rat nest of hair was tamed into a more circular afro (not much better though.) The years of braces miraculously managed to straighten his teeth out. He towered a little over six feet. And whatever training he did, it added muscle tone to a once wiry frame. He still donned a 00 jersey with ragged jeans. Of course, the boy continued to refuse wearing shoes.

Though he rather would admire this transformation, a question egged at him.

Using Ford and Milla's argument over punctuality as a cover, Raz faced Dogen. "What training?" he asked while his eyes followed Bobby until the boy sat down next to Chloe on the floor.

"It's what I was trying to tell you earlier. Bobby is training to be a Psychonaut too," he answered shyly. Though people may have said that Dogen was not the brightest bulb, he still knew the animosity between Raz and Bobby. Talking to either one of them about the other's achievement was like walking on glass.

Lili, who obviously eavesdropped, entered the conversation. "You know that he's only been training for three months and he's already scheduled to graduate towards the end of the summer." She also knew the danger. But she had a plan to follow.

A frown made way to Raz's face. "And how long does it take to finish PIT training?"

"The, uh, average is four years," Dogen said.

Before Raz reacted, Milla re-gathered everyone's attention. "Children! Hush, we're almost done." After the campers turned their focus back to the Brazilian, she pressed on. "I know it's late and I bet you're all tired. After Bobby, you may return to the cabins for the night. Since camp doesn't officially start until tomorrow, I'll assign your cabins in morning. For now, wherever. Understood?"

The campers muttered in confirmative.

"Good. Bobby Zilch, you'll help with Pyrokinesis, Levitation, and Confusion. Also, you'll also be Co-Head Counselor with Raz…" She paused. '_Certainly Lili made a mistake_,' she thought.

**I didn't.** Lili telepathically corrected.

Milla coughed to cover the pause. "As head counselors, you two will plan the activities, groups, and basically, who's doing what when." Her eyes flashed from one boy to another. She hoped that Lili knew what she was doing. "Now, children, it's time for bed." She shooed the teens away.

During the herding, Raz felt someone shoving him. Shoving him right into Bobby.

The taller teen turned and dully glared. He opened his mouth to insult the other before pausing. He slammed his jaw shut, and then opened it again. "Watch your step, Aquato." With that, he continued down the ramp.

Two things came to Raz's mind.

One: Bobby lost his lisp.

Two: It was going to be a long, long summer.

* * *

Aaand cut!

I'm sorry if the chapter ending looked rushed. I didn't mean for it to be.

Reviews will always be welcomed and appreciated!

_This chapter's questions:_ _Who shoved into Raz? Why is Bobby training to be a Psychonaut? Why is Ford the one training him? Who is the milkman?_

**The world may never know.** (Just kidding! It'll be explained later.) (Except that last question.) (Or maybe not! dun dun dunnn) (Yeah, it won't.)


	2. Squared Away

**A/N:** Yay for surfer-draik! My first review for this fic. I spent nearly all day today and yesterday typing this chapter up. I'm ready for sleep.

Anyway, reviews will be appreciated!

Hope you like it!

* * *

Raz woke to a shy prodding at his ribcage. His eyes drowsily registered that outside was still dark. As it was summer and the sun aroused before the birds did, that meant that it was **way too** early.

Last night was absolute murder. Despite the renovations, the aged rickety cabins still stood. And for "old time's sake," the teens slept there. Raz took his old bunk that lived over Dogen's. What he had forgotten about the bunks was their lack of comfort.

To add to his aches and knots from the dreamless twist-and-turn, someone opted to wake him up before the damn crows.

The young Psychonaut readied himself to yell at whoever it was until…

"Raz? You awake?"

Raz felt all anger wash away at the sound of Dogen's voice. The teen shifted until he was leaning on his elbow. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand as he answered, "Yeah, I'm awake. What's up?" Letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, he stared at where he assumed Dogen was.

"Um, well," he began bashfully. He twiddled with his thumbs while he answered, "We're having a PIT training session in a few minutes. Me and Lili wondered if you'd liked to watch."

'_Well, since I'm __**already**__ up_,' Raz thought. "Sure. Where's it at?"

Since his pupils finally dilated, Raz found Dogen squirming with excitement (or with the need to pee, but excitement sounded better.) "Really? It's at the docks," the blue teen replied with a chirpy tone.

A grunt escaped from the wined-haired teen. "Okay, give me a minute to wake up and I'll walk with you."

"M'kay," came the reply. "I'll wait outside."

Raz tiredly watched the other teen waddle away and out of the opening where the door should have resided. He vaguely recalled that Lili told him that was because Elton got his head stuck in one of the screens and the staff had to remove them six years back. They could have just removed the screens instead of the entire door itself. But that would be way too simple.

Deciding he couldn't be _less_ awake, Raz slinked out of the covers and slowly levitated himself downwards as to not stir the others.

Though he tiptoed quietly as he could, a creak emanated.

Wide eyed, the young Psychonaut flashed eyes around the surrounding bunks. Nils continued to snore on the upper right bunk with a sleeping Vernon on the bottom bunk.

Green eyes dashed to the left and narrowed in confusion. Mikhail's back faced Raz on the bottom bunk. What bothered him was that he swore that Maloof slept there. The empty top bunk did not help.

Raz then shrugged. The business was not his own. Let them do whatever they wanted.

When the teen at last reached the outside, he scanned the area for Dogen. He spotted the blue skinned teen exiting the girls' cabin.

"Hey, Dogen. What were you doing in there?" Raz nodded in the cabin's direction.

"I, uh," Dogen stumbled as he momentarily forgot the explanation. "Oh! I was supposed to wake up Lili too, but she already left." The teen began shuffling towards the bridge.

Raz furrowed his brows in thought. '_Maybe I heard Dogen wrong earlier_,' he thought. It was possible; giving Raz's drowsiness.

He settled on taking in the scenery while he followed the other.

The morning air gave the teen goosebumps, which cause him to rub his forearms in a calm manner. Though the mornings were cool, the rest of the day remained blistering hot. It made Raz wonder how people like Franke, who actually wore turtlenecks in the summer, hadn't burst into flames yet.

Raz took in the camp's scent. The only smells he could detect belong to the trees and the lake. However, once the campers arrived, new assortment of odors would appear: hamburgers from the main lodge, sweat, dirty socks, and _maybe_ deodorant.

The camp staff supposedly replaced the old lampposts, but the new ones looked the exact same as the old. The only differences were the shininess and the height. Raz was thankful for the added stature, as the he would've banged his head on the old ones. He hazily wondered if Bobby had to watch out while he walked.

The wined-haired teen shook his head. It was time for a new train of thought.

"So, Dogen?" He asked while they crossed the bridge towards the main campgrounds. Receiving an 'Hm?' in response, the teen continued. "What's the deal with the new hat?"

Dogen's eyes lit up instantly. He liked talking about his hat. "It's a Psitanium-based Oxytyramine amplifier." A proud smile graced his face.

"A-what?"

The other teen sighed. "Well, I don't really understand it. I just know that Agent Nein made it and it helps me not to explode people's heads."

Raz hummed in understanding. "Basically like your tinfoil hat, but stronger and more stylish."

"I bet Nein or Ford can explain it better," Dogen said. He wondered if he should say what Lili wanted him to say. '_'It'll be fine,' she says. She's not the one who's going to get yelled at_,' he thought dully.

"Ford?" Raz inquired. Now that Dogen mentioned it, Raz noticed that Ford did not have a Psitanium rock strapped on his back last night.

Dogen grunted while they climbed up the ramp that led to the main lodge. His stubby legs were not meant for uphill endeavors. "Uh huh. He takes these pills that help him not be a looney tune."

When the two teens made way around the lodge, they picked up on a private conversation.

"It's going work, okay?" Lili said with an exasperated tone.

Interested, Raz yanked back on Dogen's collar. The blue teen looked up at the other with confusion and opened his mouth to say something. The young Psychonaut promptly shushed him by placing a bare hand over his mouth. They tiptoed towards the back of the lodge without noise.

"I'm not so sure, Lili," a voice answered. "One of them is going to notice eventually."

Raz pondered on the voice. It sounded indistinctly familiar.

The brunette sighed. "Look, neither of them is as smart as they think they are. For one-"

Recognizing the nature of the conversation and knowing Raz should not overhear it, Dogen did the only thing he could think of.

"Ew! Dogen!" Raz exclaimed. He frantically wiped his hand on his pants-leg to rid himself of Dogen's saliva.

Now that Raz released him, Dogen toddled forward. "Hi guys!" He called out.

"Dogen?" Lili sounded confused.

Since hiding was no longer an option, Raz emerged from the corner. With partial false sincerity, he greeted the two persons. "Hey Lili. Hey…Phoebe?"

The green skinned girl placed both hands on her hips. "I like how you ended that as a question."

"Sorry." Raz smiled sheepishly. "I just didn't recognize you right off the bat." He scratched the back of head in slight embarrassment.

Phoebe had changed a lot over the years. It wasn't like she looked the same as she did when she was ten. She had grown taller; taller than Raz. She wore the Whispering Rock camp shirt, black denim jeans, and black sneakers. She continued to sport her signature headphones, but they were wrapped around her neck. Her hair was pulled back into pigtails and she had some bangs. She had dyed the bangs bright blue.

"Nice hair," Raz quickly complimented.

Phoebe smirked at the teen's attempt to save face. She would let that one slide for now. "Thanks. Quentin and I are trying out a punk look for the band."

"Oh really?" Raz cocked an eyebrow. "But you guys don't really seem 'punk'. Or at least you didn't when I was here."

The girl shook her head. "Razputin, we're artists." She placed both hands over her heart. "We transform and change every time we play like the caterpillar and the butterfly. Do you understand now?" She stretched out open hands towards Raz.

The wined-haired teen started to nod. "Yeah-" Then he shook his head. "No, not really."

Phoebe's face contorted to smile, and then she busted out laughing. "Oh man, you almost bought that, didn't you?" When her laughing subsided, she explained, "Nah. We're just trying to find out our niche by experimenting with different genres."

"I guess that makes more sense." A smirk made way to Raz's face. "You're more like a moth anyway."

"What are you trying to say?" Phoebe retorted with mock anger.

While the two bickered, a separate conversation was being carried by Lili and Dogen. The brunette stood hunched over the smaller teen.

"I thought I told you to go the long way," she hissed. She wasn't exactly mad at Dogen; just annoyed that Raz almost eavesdropped on the wrong conversation.

Dogen looked helplessly at the ground. "Sorry. We started talking about my hat."

Lili sighed. "You and your hat-fetish, Dogen," she said as she ruffled the boy's beanie against his head. "Did you tell him yet?"

He shook his head. "No. Didn't have time," he explained.

The girl nodded. '_That's fine. Someone will mention it._' She turned towards the squabbling duo. "Hey guys! We gotta head out or we'll be late."

The two nodded in agreement and all four headed towards the bridge that led to the docks. Raz and Lili walked ahead with Phoebe and Dogen following close behind.

Nagging question in mind, Raz asked, "So, what were you two talking about earlier?" The fact that he rudely spied was forgotten.

"Uh…" Phoebe began. "We were talking about Ford and Oleander?" She faced Lili for confirmation.

"Yeah!" She exclaimed. "We were planning on sneaking out this session without being spotted." If she knew Raz well enough, he would not see through the obvious lie.

Raz nodded. "Oh, okay. Good luck with that." He pondered for a minute. "If you need to get pass Oleander, try slipping by on his right side. That's his glass eye side."

Lili apparently knew Raz very well.

To back off suspicion, she turned the attention elsewhere. "What were you **two** talking about?" She gestured a hand towards Raz and Dogen.

"Dogen was talking about his hat," he said while pointing a thumb towards the teen. "And he mentioned something about Ford taking these pills…?"

The brunette blinked in confusion. When it dawned on her, she yelled, "Oh! Those tablets that Sasha made?"

"Yeah! I guess they're supposed to keep his psyche together when he's not in his sanctuary." He swirled his hands on either side of his side to emphasis the 'psyche' bit.

When the teens' feet touched sand, Dogen pushed through the others and waddled towards the beach with the utmost grace.

And by utmost grace, he fell flat on his face a foot away.

"Dogen?" Lili's tone was laced with amusement and giggles. "Are you okay?"

Without a second thought, Phoebe continued towards the docks. As she took the first step on the wood, she turned around to face the fallen boy. "Sorry, Doeg. Better luck next time."

The blue skinned teen doubled slapped the sand. "I never get to be first," he sulked.

Raz let out a chuckle. "Come on, Dogen," he said. He bent down and grabbed hold of Dogen's right arm. He attempted to lift the younger boy up.

Lili aided Raz by grasping Dogen's left arm. "Yeah. You know what?"

"Huh?" Dogen mumbled dejectedly.

"Next time," the brunette started with a smile. "I'll make sure you're the first one."

The shorter teen looked up at Lili accompanied by a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Really? Yeah!" He tottered to the docks. "You hear that, Phoebe? I'm going to beat you next time!"

Raz cocked an eyebrow. "What's the deal with being first?"

Lili rolled her eyes. "Let's just say that it's rare for any of us to beat Bobby to anywhere."

The young Psychonaut opened his mouth to ask another question, but Phoebe interrupted. "He's _always_ first. It makes me wonder if he lives on the grounds or something."

"Speaking of which, where's Quentin?" Lili diverted the conversation.

Phoebe shrugged. "Knowing him, he's probably still sleeping."

"Or it could be the training session?" Dogen suggested.

Both girls groaned at the idea.

Puzzled, Raz asked, "What's wrong?"

Lili narrowed her eyes. "Ford calls this 'top specialized Psychonaut training…"

"When it's really just hide-and-seek," Phoebe finished.

"Come on, guys. Let's go find Hedgemouse," the brunette said oh-so-enthusiastically. "Raz, you stay here and tell me if you spot him or Ford. Okay?"

Raz gave her the thumbs up.

The three Psychonauts-in-Training ran off into Make Out Cave; leaving the verified Psychonaut alone.

The wined-haired teen opted to take a sit against the tree stump (that led inconspicuously to a series of catacombs); placing himself far from the water.

Sunlight emerged from mountains opposite the docks. The part of the sky that kissed the lake remained dark like the murky waters below.

He commenced to shut his eyes in an attempt to get back sleep. However, a rustling in the bushes near the boathouse prevented him to do so.

Raz watched the bushes with a cautious curiosity.

Then a voice asked, "Are they gone?"

"Yeahhh," Raz drawled. "Quentin?"

The other paused. "Yeahhh."

Raz sighed in relief. "Good. I thought I was plantekinetic all of the sudden."

"Dude, if you were, Lili would be so jealous," Quentin said.

"She's still interested in herbology?" Raz asked. He thought Lili dropped the herbology idea when she wanted to become a Psychonaut.

Seeing that the coast was clear, Quentin emerged from bushes. As he picked off stray leaves that got stuck in his hair, he replied, "I think so. Or maybe she just wants a rad garden."

Raz took the second to look over the DJ. Phoebe wasn't lying about the 'punk' look. Although Quentin sported the camp's shirt, he also wore red plaid shorts and black chucks. A soft studded bracelet hung on his left wrist in the company of a checkered wristband on the other. And to compliment Phoebe's hair, Quentin grew out his hair and dyed the front ends red. In addition, a vibrant rainbow scarf draped around his neck.

In short, Quentin was noteworthy.

"Nice…look," was all Raz managed to say.

The DJ gulped. "You too." Breaking his thoughts, he coughed. "Anyway, did you see where they ran off to?"

Raz too snapped out of it. "Yeah, they went through Make Out Cave."

"Okay, thanks." The redhead jogged towards the cave. "See you later, alligator."

While Raz innocently watched Quentin's retreating form, a mock vomiting noise ruined the moment.

Raz darted his vision towards the boathouse where he found a gagging Bobby Zilch exiting from it.

"Ew, you guys were so grossly pathetic," he stated whilst he leaned against the opening frame. "Why don't ya whisk him away to a hotel room?"

Raz's face contorted into irritation. "I'm not gay!" he defended.

Bobby snorted. "Could've fooled me. Especially when you let a catch like Lili get away."

Raz staggered up and stepped forward. "Well, if you think she's such a catch, why don't you take her?"

"She's not my type," he replied matter-of-factly. He discontinued leaning on the frame and took a step forward as well.

"Well maybe, she's not my type either!" Almost on instinct, Raz fell into a fighting stance. His legs were far apart for optimum mobility with his fists clenching.

Bobby took another step forward. "Then what is your type? A circus clown?" He too dropped into a fighting stance; mirroring Raz.

"At least I don't look for dates at the family reunion!" He shouted back.

"What?!" The cotton candy-haired teen snarled.

The two teenage boys had a stand off. Each on the edge; waiting for the other to strike.

Raz contemplated on the method he should use. Bobby might have been taller, but surely he lacked the experience.

In the midst of coming up with battle plans, the Psychonaut felt a strange feeling…a pinching feeling on his right ear.

Without warning, Raz's ear was jerked downwards. He stumbled to keep his balance. With a glance at Bobby, it was obvious that he too was getting his ear pulled.

"Stop that, the both of ya!" Ford snapped. He looked to be emerging from the tree stump. Both of his hands situated in the air in telekinetic position. "Now, I want apologies!"

Raz sighed. "Sorry, Bobby."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too," Bobby began. A smirk graced his face. He opened his mouth to add insult, but promptly shut it. He shook his head. His attention spun towards Ford. "Can you let go now?"

Ford snapped out of a daze and blinked. "Oh, but of course!" He released his hold. After both boys sighed in relief, the scout master continued on. "Anyway, Bobby, did you finish patching up the canoes?"

"Yeah, and polished them too."

"Good, good. Now, go help the others find Hedgemouse," he order.

Bobby saluted half-assedly. "Yes, admiral, sir." He then ran off towards the main lodge.

When he disappeared over the bridge, Ford smacked the back of Raz's head.

"Ow! What was that for?" He asked as he rubbed his head.

"That's for going off for years and not bothering to drop by and say 'Hi!'" He said 'hi' in a high pitched tone.

Raz chuckled. "Sorry. Every time I finish one mission, I'm off doing another," he explained.

"Hmm. That sounds like HQ alright…" He trailed off in thought of the past. Back when he was a top Psychonaut. '_Boy, were those tiresome days_.' He started to wander back into the boathouse.

Raz followed behind. "Hey Ford?" Getting an 'hmm' as a response, he pressed on. "I heard that you're taking these pills or tablets or something?" Though the other teens explained it to him, Raz felt more comfortable getting the information from a more direct source. Information straight off the vine had never been too reliable.

"Oh yes. The Psitanium-based hydrochloric tablets that Sasha made. Yep, don't have to wear a rock on my back anymore. Just a tablet every two weeks," Ford said. Though his tone sounded automatic, an edge contained contentment. Of course, being able to walk outside with all mentality intact was a definite good thing.

"How does that work anyway? Isn't Psitanium a rock? You're eating it and Dogen's wearing it."

Ford snorted. "That's a bunch of science hoopla. If you want to know all the fuss, you should go see Sasha." The old man grabbed a rag and began polishing the canoe set on the table.

"Yeah, I just might." Raz took a spot on the chair in the corner.

A few moment of silence passed between them.

Ford finally broke it. "Look kid, I heard that you and Bobby are going to head counselors this year."

"Yeah?" Raz tried his hardest to not contort in annoyance.

"Well, I figured you should know something about him. Just so you'll have a better understanding of him," he explained.

Raz nodded for him to continue.

Ford exhaled noisily. "I'll start this way: Bobby hasn't taken a step off the camp grounds for nearly four years."

"What?" Green eyes widened.

"Yeah, it started at the summer after you. It was at the end of camp and the kids' families came to pick them up. I didn't stick around. You know that I have to go around to clean up, you know?" He asked.

Raz nodded for the umpteenth time that morning.

"Well, I didn't come by the parking lot till the next mornin'. And guess who was still there?" Ford smiled sadly. "Bobby was still sitting there on his suitcase; waiting patiently to go home." He paused for a second. "His folks never came for him, Razputin."

"What happened?" He asked.

"They moved," he answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "They left with no forward address, no note, nothing."

The boy's brows furrowed in thought. "Did you guys eventually find his family?"

"Of course, we did. We also found out that Bobby was living with his aunt's family." He paused again. Raz assumed that it was to recollect his thoughts. "Milla and I headed over there in her car. We figured it'd be better if we made sure we got the right house."

Raz almost begged him to stop. He hated Bobby. He should've. And here was Ford telling him a story that forced the hate out.

"The aunt answered the door. We argued for a bit. She and her family…they wouldn't take him back. They kept saying how he was a freak…a monster. Then I asked her, 'Then what am I supposed to do with him?' Want to take a shot at what she said?"

Raz shook his head numbly.

Ford looked up in a sort of daze. "I'll never forget this. She looked at me right in the eye and said," he paused to make eye contact with Raz. "'Kill him for all I care.'" Then the scout master swerved his attention back to the canoe.

A shudder made way up Raz's spine. He always thought that his dad hated psychics. But this lady…she hated family.

"I had to drive us back because Milla, being the bleeding heart that she is, cried all the back. She couldn't fathom the idea why anyone would abandon a child so easily. The thing is Milla found her powers as an adult. Do you know the main difference between finding your psychic abilities as an adult and as a child?" He looked over at the wined-haired teen.

Raz pondered and then shook his head.

Ford nodded in understanding. "When you're an adult, it's easier to get help. You control your own life. But when you're a kid, you can only turn to your family. And every so often, Raz, as a psychic child, your family can be your worst enemy.

"And sometimes, it all depends on how you find your powers. At times, people find them through positive feelings, like excitement and concern. But most times, they are found through anger, sadness, and suffering.

"After some background checking, I found that Bobby realized his psychic capabilities through all three negatives. And his feelings just worsened. If his family was keen on leaving him behind so easily, I can't even imagine what his home life was like." He retained eye contact again. "Do you know why I'm telling you this?"

Raz merely stared.

Ford sighed. "I'm telling you this, not to pity Bobby, but to at least understand where his anger is coming from. When he throws out insults, he's most likely doing to defend himself; not to insult you. Understand?"

"Yeah." Raz flinched at how coarse his voice was. He hopped off the chair and began heading out of the boathouse. "Thanks Ford. I'll treat him better." He fully exited the boathouse.

"Good, good," Ford muttered.

As Raz began ascending the bridge's stairs, a certain brunette appeared out of Make Out Cave.

"Hey Raz!" She ran towards him. Mud nearly covered her entire frame. It was all over her clothes and in her hair. Apparently, the rules of hide-and-seek changed since the last time he played.

If he were in a better mood, he would have laughed at the girl's condition.

And she expected that reaction.

"Hey Raz? What's up?" Worry doused her tenor and covered her eyes.

"Oh nothing. Just a bit tired," he half lied.

Lili moved her head up and down. "Yeah, me too. I'm heading to the cabins. Want to walk with?"

"I'll walk up to the main lodge. I'm kind of hungry." He continued his way on the bridge with Lili in tow. Deciding that he needed to change subjects, "So, how was hide-and-seek?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "It was the worst! First Phoebe-"

Raz automatically tuned her off. His thoughts kept drifting to Ford's talk.

He felt bad lying to Lili. And he almost wanted to tell her the story too.

But he did not think that he had the heart to.

* * *

LOLWHUT

Sorry for all the dialogue. I just wanted to give Bobby some background.

And what's Mikhail doing in Maloof's bed? ;)

AND slight Raz/Quentin?! No way! Don't worry. It won't last long. At all.

Triple AND, when I was thinking of names for Dogen's hat and Ford's pills, I realized what total **_nerd_** I am. The fact that I actually understand how to explain it doesn't help matters. Oh, and just in case someone's curious, Oxytyramine is a different name for Dopamine. It sort explains how Dogen's hat works.

Anywho, reviews will always be appreciated!


	3. Blowing Cobwebs

**A/N:** Oh man. This chapter took me foreverrr. While I was in the middle of writing this chapter, my grandfather got hospitalized. But I'm sure he's fine since he was bitching about staying at the hospital for five days. XD Gotta love old people.

BTW, this chapter reminds me why I love Vernon. :3

Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Raz stared ahead of him blankly. It appeared that he wasn't hungry as he thought. When he entered the main lodge, he ended up just plopping on a bench and laid his head on the table. His mind continued backtracking to events earlier that morning.

He figured that nothing really changed during all the years. Now he questioned on whether everything changed. A rotten feeling washed over him.

While he was gone, everyone moved on with their lives. It was hard for him to visualize his friends laughing, crying, and living out their lives without him. Then again, he carried on his life without them.

His thoughts were interrupted when a body walked into his line of vision. He blinked and shook his head.

He looked up to see Vernon standing awkwardly.

"Hey Raz," he said with his nasal tone. "Mind if I take a seat?" He waved a hand towards the empty bench.

"Hey Vernon. No, go ahead," he replied as he shook his head.

The darker boy nodded and took the seat across from the Psychonaut. They both sat there in silence. Raz traced his finger along the wooden table while Vernon stared up in thought.

The wined-haired boy flicked his eyes to the boy crosswise from him. He took this as a chance to look over the teen. Vernon had barely changed one bit. He still wore that hat. Still sported the camp's shirt. Though Raz couldn't see, he knew that Vernon would be wearing bland colored shorts and, of course, no shoes. The only noticeable difference was the length of hair. The sides nipped at the ears and the front splashed across his forehead. Other than that, the boy remained the same.

"So," Vernon began; catching Raz's attention. "What's with the long face?"

Raz sighed. "I don't know." He paused to gather his thoughts. "I just kind of realized that I might've missed out on a lot while I was gone."

The storyteller nodded. "So, you want to know what happened in your absence?" Though subtle, a tint of excitement laced his monotonous tone.

"Yeah, that would be nice," he admitted.

The corners of Vernon's mouth twitched upwards. "I could help you with that." After Raz gave him a bemused look and a cocked brow, he explained, "Well, after you didn't come back the first summer, I went to go look for Lili. I caught her walking towards the campfire. I asked her why you weren't there. She said it was because of Psychonaut business. Then we took a right. And then I accidentally swallowed a bug…"

The Psychonaut threw up his hands to signal the other to stop. "Okay! Vernon, I got it. Let's get to the point," Raz chided.

"Anyway, I made it my duty to document the events of Whispering Rock until you returned." The storyteller puffed out his chest in pride.

"Really?" Raz asked incredulously.

Vernon nodded. "Yup." He tapped his chin in thought. "I couldn't remember it all, so I wrote it all down. Most of what I wrote is just vine-talk, but they were talked about so I thought it might be important. I even collected photographs so you could have some visual. Some pictures were hard to get 'cause certain people kept threatened to beat me up or make me sleep with the fishes. I didn't even know that fish _could_ sleep…"

"So, where are these 'documents'?" Raz used his fore- and middle fingers to emphasize.

The darker teen stroked his imaginary beard. "They're in some boxes…down in Nein's secret lab."

The wined-haired teen scrunched his face in confusion. "Why are they there?"

Vernon shrugged. "Figured Nein wouldn't notice on the account he hasn't clean the place since ever."

Raz nodded. "Sounds like him." He reflected on the times when he would barge into the lab and Sasha mistook him as the cleaning lady. He shook his head and went back to the matter at hand. "So, when can we get the boxes?"

The other teen hummed. "Probably later tonight. Maybe after the Camper Induction Ceremony."

"And when's that?"

Vernon shrugged again. "That depends on when the kids arrive. Vodello plans on having the kids arrive at three and the ceremony at six. But," The teen sniffed and wiped his arm under his nose. "You can never trust that the bus will be on time."

A slamming of the backdoor attracted their attentions. Raz looked over Vernon's shoulder to look over at the lodge's back entrance.

Kitty and Franke walked in giggling. From his far sitting, Raz couldn't make out their detailed looks. He noticed that Kitty had grown out her hair to her mid-back whilst Franke cut hers boyish style. The main feature that Raz observed was that they held hands.

"What's up with them?" He asked as he nodded towards the girls' direction.

Vernon kept his eyes on them while they sat at a distance table and pulled numerous vials of nail polish from their handbags. He turned back to Raz. "Them?" He jabbed his thumb behind him. "They're an item."

Raz's eyes widened. He knew that the girls were close, but not _that_ close. "Really? When?"

"Sometime during last summer," he replied. "I'd like to think it's because they found out that they can't have the V-man." His nodding added to his vigorous confirmability.

Deciding to ignore the 'V-man' bit, Raz asked, "What do you mean?"

And if Vernon could show any range of emotion, the slight tug at the corners of his lips was the only indication. "Because I have a girlfriend. She's smokin'."

Raz chuckled. It was hard not to when the monotonous voice said something borderline ridiculous.

"That reminds me of this one story. It's about this one time when my dad was barbequing…"

A sigh escape from the young Psychonaut. He was going to be there for awhile.

* * *

Lili sighed in frustration. She had been searching for Raz in the past two hours.

After she cleaned off the mud and changed to a simple pair of jeans and the camp shirt, she spent an hour chitchatting with whomever she bumped into. She decided to go look for her Psychonaut friend that followed a _very_ interesting conversation with Milka. The girl's invisibility skills were handier than Lili credited.

Considering a lot of time passed since Raz and she parted at the lodge, she assumed that he already moved on to somewhere else.

However, after asking around, no one had seen the teen all day (excluding Phoebe and Dogen, of course.)

She figured that she might as well check out the lodge. She would kick herself if she did find the boy there.

As she emerged from the campfire area and walked towards the lodge, she spotted a pair of familiar faces headed her way.

When she reached within decent hearing range, she called out, "Hey Kitty! Franke!"

The duo began to glare at the girl until they fully recognized the talker.

Kitty pursed her lips and her eyes narrowed. Though she knew that Lili was a nice person and had respectable taste, she continued to feel weary of her nemesis in popularity. "Lili," she replied in a simple manner.

However Franke, being friendlier than her counterpart, greeted cheerfully, "Hey Lili! How's life treating ya?"

"Fine," Lili responded automatically. "Hey, have you guys seen Raz?"

Kitty made a weird clicking noise and sighed. "Yeah, he's in the main lodge."

"And Vernon is telling him some story that I bet is simply _interesting_," Franke added. Lili dully noted the sarcasm.

The brunette nodded. "Thanks."

While she brushed past the two girls, Kitty quickly thought of an irksome question. Out of curiosity with a hint of malice, she exclaimed at Lili's retreating form, "It's a shame about you and Raz!"

Lili froze. Despite the attempts to ready herself for this, it still caught her off guard.

The romance between her and Raz barely lasted a year. They were too young and were simply caught up in the moment during the brain stealing. After saving her father and months of struggle, they realized that they had more friendship material than amorousness. Since child-like exoneration existed in them, they quickly forgave and forgot.

Without turning around, Lili asked with a flat tone, "What about it?"

"Well," Kitty began. A smirk made way on her lips. "A relationship between the daughter of the Grand Head of the Psychonauts and the youngest and one of the best Psychonauts around; it's practically ideal."

Franke scowled at her girlfriend. She enjoyed mocking others too, but she knew when taunts went too far. She also knew that the love was one of the most important concepts of life that girls paid interest in; right next to gossip and fashion.

A frown graced Lili's lips. The relationship bit no longer bothered her. She had gotten over it a long time ago. Kitty's intention to use it as an insult was what irritated the brunette. "Thanks, again," she said and continued to walk off.

A grin replaced the frown when she heard the princess let out a flabbergasted and angry groan.

Lili felt better already.

* * *

"And then I ate another fry. And then my dad tried to fire the coal. But he ended up setting his hair on fire. So, now he has to wear a toupee until his hair grows back. And then I ate another fry…"

With an elbow standing on the table, Raz leaned against the palm of his hand. His eyelids had begun falling ten minutes ago.

Though Vernon was likeable, his stories were not.

When the wined-haired teen almost felt drowsiness take over, the main doors of the lodge slammed open. A feeling of dread immediately filled him.

"**THIS** is where you've been?!" Lili shouted. She was more annoyed at the fact that she searched for _hours_ and he was in the same place that she left him. "Have you moved at all since I left you?"

Raz flinched at her tone. He turned around and smiled sheepishly. "I scooted a little to the left an hour ago."

Lili narrowed her eyes dangerously. Deciding that it was the best to not lose her temper, she inhaled and exhaled slowly and noisily before approaching the boys. "So, what're you guys talking about?"

"Well," Vernon began.

No!" Raz yelled while his hands jumped to a position signaling 'stop'. "I mean…" He scrunched his nose in thought. He snapped with his right hand when he thought up a cover-up. "You should save your voice. You know, for the campfire story."

Vernon's eyes widened. "You're right." His body turned 180 degrees and he hopped off the bench. At the same time as he headed for the main doors, he rambled more to himself than to the other teens. "Since I'm going to tell a story, I better keep my voice in perfect condition. Wouldn't want to lose my voice in the middle of a good story…"

After the boy left, Lili gave the boy a smirk. "Nice save." She sat down on the bench next to Raz; leaning her back against the table. She laid her elbows on either side of her on the table. "So, when's your dad going to be here?"

"He said he would arrive sometime between three and four." He started to grin. "You know Feliks is coming this year."

Lili returned the smile. "Oh really? Another Aquato at Whispering Rock." Out of all of Raz's siblings, the youngest, Feliks, was her favorite. "Hopefully a lot more tolerable than you."

Raz stuck out his tongue at her. Immature move, he knew. However, he received a giggle from the girl, so it was worth it.

Routing the conversation, Raz asked, "What time is it, anyway?"

Lili flicked her left wrist into view and glanced at her plain analog watch. "Nearly eleven. Why? Need to take some medication?"

The wined-haired teen rolled his eyes. "No. I'm thinking that I should go find Bobby."

The girl held back a surprised gasp. "What?" She asked incredulously. "Why?"

"Uh." Raz felt awkward about her reaction. He expected a more casual response. "Well, since we're head counselors and all, and we're supposed to make the schedules and-"

Lili interrupted. "Oh right. Sorry." Her smile grasped a hint of embarrassment. "Just never thought I would hear you say something like that." '_So soon_.'

"Yeah, well." Raz climbed over the bench and stood between Lili and the door. "Do you know where he would be?"

Picking up on the boy's discomfiture, she quickly attempted to save face for the both of them. "Yeah." She stood up and headed out the main doors with Raz in tow. "He usually hides in his cabin after practice."

They walked in silence as they walked towards the kids' cabins. While they walked down the trail, Raz noticed what he couldn't see in the dark.

"Where's the mountain?" Raz pointed straight ahead. If memory served him right, a mountain stood there five years ago. It had a fridge where he found the turkey sandwich for the scavenger hunt.

Laughter escaped from the brunette. "Let's just say that when you mix one determined Mental Minx, one whipped German, and a coach who's in love with explosions, getting rid of a mountain is pretty easy."

A dirt path that led to more cabins sat where the mountain once stood. During their hike down the path, Raz stared in awe at the counselors' cabins.

They were a lot better than he expected. They held more space, but less bunks (much to the relief considering everyone used to be packed like tuna.) A raised porch situated in front of every door. All screens on the doors and windows were backed up by mesh; decreasing the chance of stray bugs invading the cabins. And by the look of the wadded white fabric hanging above the windows and doors, the campers could finally have some privacy.

There looked to be six cabins total. Three located on either side. As Raz glanced at the bronze numbers above each door, he figured that the odd numbers were on the left side and the even on the right.

"Wow," Raz breathed. "The cabins are nice for once." He heard the brunette hummed in agreement. "How many can they hold?"

"Well, they're _supposed_ to hold four people. But with our weird number, we're divided kind of funny," she answered.

With a question nagging on him, he asked, "So, who's with whom?" Of course, he really wanted to ask who he was stuck with for the summer. Lili opened her mouth to argue, however Raz stopped her. "I know you know. Oleander told me."

Lili let out a frustrated sigh and silently cursed the coach. "Well," she started. She stopped abruptly in the middle of the cabins. Raz fell shortly after her. Her right index finger pointed towards the first cabin they had already passed. "In 'Cabin 1,' there's J.T., Chops, Nils, and Quentin." Her finger swerved to the cabin across. "Cabin 2 has Maloof, Mikhail, and Benny. I figured since they're on night patrol and they're going to return at a godforsaken hour, I thought it was best if they shared a cabin." She looked at the male teen for a sign of agreement.

Raz nodded. It made some sense. Though he understood why the boys were on night patrol, he didn't know what they were supposed to do during the day. Deciding it should not be any of his concern, he brushed it off.

"Cabin 3," she continued with pointed finger. "Holds Dogen, Vernon, Clem, and Elton. Cabin 4 has Kitty, Franke, Elka, and Milka." She paused. Her finger aimed at the cabin next to the previous. "In Cabin 6, it's me, Phoebe, Chloe, and Crystal."

The Psychonaut narrowed his eyes. He paid attention and noted which cabin had who. And if his calculations were right… "Lili, you missed a cabin." His tone was dreary. When the girl refused to look at him, his voice dropped threateningly, "Lili, who's in Cabin Five?"

Lili bit her lip whilst she turned to look up at Raz. "You and…Bobby."

"What?!" he shouted.

She flinched. Although she originally had been looking forward to this, that morning changed her mind completely.

At some point during the Psychonaut training, Bobby joined up with Phoebe, Dogen, and her. Noticing that the boy was in a foul mood, Phoebe inquired what the problem was. Bobby's reply was simply "Raz." The acid in his pitch clued Lili in that the two had a nasty confrontation; a nasty beginning.

"Please don't be mad at me," she pleaded. "It was Sasha's idea!" Seeing that the boy's face softened, she pressed on. "Even though Milla and I were supposed to assign cabins, Sasha decided that you two should share a cabin since you two are head counselors and all."

Despite that he calmed down, a slimmer of anger and confusion survived in him. "And just who decided that me and _him_ were going to be head counselors?"

"Well, considering your years as a Psychonaut, you seemed fit for it. And Bobby will make an amazing Psychonaut," she explained. Noticing Raz's skeptical sneer, the girl snapped from the defensive to the offensive. "Would you stop being a jerk about this?! Just because he used to be a jackass, it doesn't mean he's one now!"

"But he-" Raz attempted to interject.

"He's changed, Raz. Everyone has." She took a step forward and jammed her index into the boy's chest. "You haven't been around for five years and you expect things to be the same? Raz, people change. You've changed." She clasped her hands across her chest. "I've changed!" Then she pointed towards the fifth cabin. "And Bobby changed!" Too angry to continue the conversation, Lili exhaled noisily and began heading back up the trail. After a few steps, she stopped and turned to face the other. "And just for your information, Bobby is great in the psychic field. Even I'm man enough to admit that he's better than me." With that, she continued her way away from the other teen.

Raz sighed. He knew he would have to apologize to Lili later for being an ass. Though, she didn't really give him elbow room to justify himself.

He realized that his fellow campers altered from his memories of them. But those were the only things he could go by.

To him, Dogen was still the kid that wore the footsie pajamas and the tinfoil hat that separated Raz from the headless Raz. Phoebe and Quentin were in a one-themed band. Vernon did not even have a slight chance of obtaining a girlfriend.

And Bobby was still the 12 year old bully that was scared of a **button**. The kid who stuffed Maloof in the GPC and tortured fish. The same guy who nearly made to the end of Oleander's basic braining class and nearly defeated Raz at the levitation race.

Raz sighed again. "Okay, so maybe he's okay," he said to himself.

His eyes jumped to his cabin. Through the screens and mesh, he was able to spot the orange nest of hair. '_Bobby's inside_,' he thought.

He was willing to work with Bobby. To make up the schedules and keep everything in check. To tolerate him.

But to live with him?

His thoughts traveled far and wide. He came to an unexpected conclusion.

The idea didn't seem as unpleasant as it should.

* * *

SAVE THE DRAMA FOR MOMMA!

What?! Bobby and Raz sharing a cabin? What a twist! -shot-

And would you believe that I was looking forward to Vernon saying, "She's smokin'"? Just him saying that in that nasal drawl made me inwardly giggle.

Anyway, reviews will be appreciated, but favorites and alerts are awesome too! :D


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